Looking southeast from Símonarbrekka over Hestvík, Þingvallavatn and to the headland Klumba. The mountain Búrfell is in the distance.

The country’s largest lake… almost

The weather was a peculiar by Þingvallavatn yesterday, sun and rain at the same time as it was dead calm, which is very unusual. Þingvallavatn is the largest natural lake in Iceland with an area of ​​84 km2 / 33 mi2, and it is always cold. Most of the water comes directly from springs at the lake’s bottom, but it is 114 m / 374 ft at its deepest. Sogið, the largest and most voluminous spring in Iceland, flows from Þingvallavatn. Þingvellir National Park, the oldest national park in the country, was established by law in 1930 and is located on the north side of the lake. In 2004, Þingvellir National Park became a UNESCO site. With the agreement, the place is one of the almost one thousand cultural and natural heritage sites worldwide that are considered to have a unique value for the rest of the world. The lake is only a 45 minutes-drive from the capital.

Þingvallavatn 07/08/2021 12:11 100mm
Photo and text: Páll Stefánsson